Avenger Penguins
Avenger Penguins is a British animated series produced by Cosgrove Hall Films, Granada Television, Thames Television, and Anglia Television in 1993, and animated by both Alfonso Productions, a Spanish-based animation studio also responsible for bringing Cosgrove Hall's show Fantomcat to life, and in-house by Cosgrove Hall themselves. It aired largely on Children's ITV and was original to be called Hell's Penguins, although was renamed in concern to how the religious audience in the US would respond. It has the distinction of being the last Cosgrove Hall cartoon to be animated using hand-painted animation cels, as all 2D animated series from the studio thereafter would use computers for the ink and paint process; with the animation, drawings scanned and then digitally colored. The entire series was released on a three-disc DVD box set in March 2006. Influences As with most Cosgrove Hall cartoons, the series poked fun at the popular concepts of having creatures performing inhuman action feats and stunts in an animated medium, made popular by the then enormously successful Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The core of the show's theme is coincidently similar to Biker Mice from Mars. Details The story revolves around three bike-riding Penguins that inhabit Big City, uniting to protect it and its citizens from the evil Caractacus P. Doom, an insane and reclusive criminal scientist. The Penguins attempt to prevent Doom's schemes but find themselves often hampered by their own miscommunicating and occasional scraps with other biker gangs infesting Big City, such as The Stink Brothers, a canine squad of Hell's Angels. The cast, like Danger Mouse, Count Duckula and Victor and Hugo: Bunglers in Crime had with David Jason, boasted a star talent in a major role, this time in the form of Mike McShane as the Penguin's un-coordinated but brash leader Marlon, as well as the villainous Doom. To show how the series was mocking the often rushed animation style of the original TMNT series, two supporting characters are known as "The Badly Drawn Brothers" were always left with the design construction lines still showing out of deliberate neglect. Pop culture references were found in abundance in many of the episodes and in the characters. Doom himself is patterned on an elderly Orson Welles, Harry Slime (who talks like Peter Lorre) in the meantime is based somewhat on Harry Lime, a character from the movie The Third Man. The Season 2 episode, "The 23rd Century" also served as a parody of Star Trek, and of science fiction in general. Voice cast *Mike McShane as Marlon, Dr. Caractacus P. Doom and various other characters *Rob Rackstraw as Rocky and various other characters *Jimmy Hibbert as Bluey, Bella, Harry Slime and various other characters. *Lorelei King as various other characters. *Paul Young as the theme song vocalist. Episodes The transmission dates come from The Guardian and Kaleidoscope. Series one (1993–1994) |EpisodeNumber=1 |ShortSummary=Doom is going to replace the president with a clone. Marlon and Rocky are captured running into Doom's tower and the two of them with the president are turned into fish, but Bluey comes to their aid. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=2 |ShortSummary=Marlon enters the Hog Jamboree, which Doom has rigged. Bluey manages to reprogram Doom's seeker missile and win the Jamboree. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=3 |ShortSummary=Doom uses Bluey's brain to create mind monsters from Bluey's favourite show, Quantum Mechanic and Googerplex. Bella manages to turn Quantum against Doom and save the penguins. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=4 |ShortSummary=Doom sends Slime to an orbiting satellite to shrink Big City's population and replace them with monsters. After evading the monsters, the penguins head to Doom's salleite and terminate Doom's shrinking effects. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=5 |ShortSummary=Doom brings some video game villains to life, sucks Marlon and Rocky into the game and tries to squich them. Bluey the computer expert comes to the rescue. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=6 |ShortSummary=Doom creates an android to brainwash Marlon into a life of suburban bliss and blandness so that Rocky and Bluey are leaderless and uninspired. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=7 |ShortSummary=Irv's 'nephew' Billy Neptune comes to stay with the Penguins. He seems convinced that he is a super-hero but manages to save the three biking birds in the end when Doom captures them. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=8 |ShortSummary=Mr. Doom's nightmare machine invades the penguins dreams but eventually turns on its master. (This episode references Planet Cute from 'The Vampire Strikes Back' an episode of 'Count Duckula') |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=9 |ShortSummary=A movie fan alien visits a film set where Doom and Slime are trying to kill the penguins who are there as stuntmen. The episode references 'E.T.', 'Star Wars' and 'Blackadder'. It is the first appearance of Dolores Devine. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=10 |ShortSummary=The Avenger Penguins and The Stink Brothers enter an underground motorcycle challenge along with Carberetta Gasoline a tough lady biker who starts off working for Doom but eventually changes her mind and becomes friends with the Penguins. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=11 |ShortSummary=Professor Boring (a cheery fellow) and his wife Euphoria (a depressed woman) have their time machine's transanium crystal stolen enabling Doom to send Harry Slime back to the old west to stake claims on all the gold. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=12 |ShortSummary=Doom sacks Slime and sends him out into the cold where he befriends a fairy. Together they get revenge on Doom who is seeking to make the penguins homeless. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} |EpisodeNumber=13 |ShortSummary=After a year trapped on Mars, Caractacus P. Doom returns to seek revenge and challenges the penguins to a contest. |LineColor=3B9DFF }} }} Series two (1994) |EpisodeNumber=1 |ShortSummary=The Avenger Penguins are brought to the future to head to the Doomstar of Doom's descendant Lucidious Q. Doom and stop her firing the freezing ray on the globe. This episode was originally called "Where No Penguin Has Gone Before". |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=2 |ShortSummary= When Rocky's mother visits and drags him out to the shops, this give 'Dave Penguin' a perfect chance to take his place. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=3 |ShortSummary= Doom replaces Slime with the more efficient, but traitorous Miss DeMeanor. Slime and Doom hatch a plan with the Penguins to get her to leave. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=4 |ShortSummary= The Penguins appear as guests on a dating show. Doom rigs the contest so Marlon wins a date with escaped loony, Annabelle the Animal, who has a desire to eat anything that's black and white, for example PENGUINS! |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=5 |ShortSummary= The old Doc relates a tale from the Wild West, where Beauregarde Doom and his gang try and rob a bank and some penguin lawmen try to escape Humungously Big Mad Joe. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=6 |ShortSummary= With Marlon and Bluey trapped at a sleazy night-club where Doom is negotiating a deal for a diamond. Rocky, Slime and Dolores Devine travel (by accident) to an ancient temple. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=7 |ShortSummary= Charles Dickens' novel of the same name is parodied in this episode. Doom realises he must restore power to the city after he blacks it out. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=8 |ShortSummary= Rocky is hired by the President to infiltrate Zigmund Fishfinger's (Doom's) lair and rescue Miss Leatherclad-Fullerain. Marlon and Bluey sneak along for this James Bond style spoof. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=9 |ShortSummary=Mr. Doom under-estimates the power of his latest invention, a monster composed of the most horrible garbage in the city. Meanwhile, after Marlon gets knocked on the head, he starts thinking he is his favourite movie hero, Valentine Lovescones. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=10 |ShortSummary=Much of the episode has the characters bursting into song. Doom is going to blow up the penguins with their own bikes, but Slime has not made the preparations for that. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=11 |ShortSummary=Bluey's addiction to computer games comes in useful when Doom invades the international computer network with a virus. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=12 |ShortSummary=The Avenger Penguins travel to London to tackle Caractacus P. Doom's cousin, Professor Moriarty, who has unleashed a drug into the water supply which causes everyone to treat each other unfairly. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} |EpisodeNumber=13 |ShortSummary=After Slime's failure to get the penguins, Doom creates two ladies who can switch between pretty and ugly, but they blow themselves up. Then Slime takes over Doom's place. |LineColor=81D8D0 }} }} International broadcasts * Chile ** Megavision (1994–1996) ** Canal 13 (1995–2001) ** UCV Television (1997–1998) * Australia ** ABC (1995–1997) ** 7Two (2009–2011) * Sweden ** TV4 * Ireland ** TV3 (1998–2000) * South Africa ** SABC2 * Singapore ** Channel 5 (1995–1996) ** The Disney Channel (2001–2002) * United Arab Emirates ** Dubai 33 * Malaysia ** TV1 (1996–1999) * Israel ** Arutz HaYeladim * Poland ** TVP Regionalna * Japan ** Nickelodeon * Germany ** BFBS ** SSVC Television * Iceland ** BBC Prime (1995–1996) * Hong Kong ** TVB Pearl * Thailand ** IBC7 * Zimbabwe ** ZBC TV * Kenya ** KBC External links *Toonhound's entry on Avenger Penguins *Avenger Penguins on IMDB Category:CITV shows Category:1990s TV shows